The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1887-12-25
A RIDE UPON A COMET.

bADS VI Wv NV@hA.
In the Christmas season, when every wan
dsrer turns his face and heart. II not his foot
etsps, homeward. the starry heavens glow with
A splendor that eclipses the milder glories OF the
summer skies. Orion now reigns supreme.
surrounded by the most magnificent constella-
lions Of the armament. In the frosty mir the
nany.colored stars sparkle with redoubled
briliiancy, and Sirius, without a rival, scintil-
lsses and blazes like an unparalleled electric
beacon at'the gate Of Heaven. To the contem-
platiye mind this display Of celestial marvels
At such q home-seeking time suggests irre-
si1tible thoughts Of the immensely Of space in
the midst OF which our little planet homo is
situated. As we gather around our Christmas
hesrths, even at the fool Of terrestrial life, we
are. after oil. merely as 30 many mariners
upon o boundless ocean. pitiably isolated from
the great centres Of the universe. but. for
~tunately. for the most part, unconscious Of our
isolation and contented with our narrow lot
and our solitary situation.
We shall find no time moro suitable than the
present to visit In Imagination some OF tho
wonders OF the universe beyond our little sys-
tenn. No traveller ever dreamed Of such q voy-
age as We can make. with the Christmas blaze
warming our blood and cheering our hearts,
while our minds wander far away through the
ilimitable. trackless Eegions Of open space and
behold suns and worlds. and the germs OF them.
without end.
Suppose We mount upon Q comet which. hav-
Ing visited our sun. and astonished the inhabi-
tants Of the solar system with its strange
splendor. Is flying Oh into space again to swing
around other suns and thread the intricacies
Of other systems-one Of those comets that
travel In that most wonderful OF all paths, Q
hyps-bolio orbit
A dash. o roar. q breathlsss rush. and the
earth II behind and below us-a shining ball
floating In the heavens. variegsted by the COL
os Of its continents and seas, and capped by
the white expansos Of its polar snowsl Close
By It shines its faithful comrade, the moon.
linked with It IN the golden chains Of the solar
empire. Auroral lights tint the earth's glitter
ing poles with rose color. and along its TANKS
flashes the gleam Of tho convex ocean reflect
ing the glow Of tho winter moon. Soon all this
vanishes, and the Garth shines merely as . faint
star. while near It, and growing nearer as we
rsoede, bla1es the sur. Around us Is the black
ness of space. II the comet had an atmos-
phers, " should have some degree Of daylight
upon u, but without an atmosphere the
sunlight that reaches US passes straight ON
into space. and, with nothing to difYuse 1t,
simply Eliminates those objects that 1t strikes
directly. II We look at our fellow voyagers,
We soc that that part Of their faces which is
toward tho sun is brilliantly Illuminated while
al the rest Is concealed in black shadow. The
sun itself never appeared 30 wonderful. All
around It are streams Of light which seem to
emAnate from tho solar body. n red flames
appear to play upon It's edges. Before we had
never seen the sun in all its glory, for the glare
Of is own light In the earth's atmosphere had
hidden its marvellous surroundings from our
aiOhf ThA nlanata appaar aa opaoka NJ liOhf
Sircing around their blazing centre of motion.
no larger in comparison than tho sparks that
Whirl In tho eddies Of q CONFEDERATION.
Still tho comet rushes on and on. and the
planets disappear and only the sun remains
visible Of oil the solar system, a mere star, not
% large or brilliant as many others that shine
around us. We may well smile now at the
thoughts we formerly entertained Of the i'm
mensity Of our terrestrial dwelling place. and
Of the seeming improbability that . distant
star. family glimmering in the bosom Of night,
could be the centre Of q system Of worlds as
great IS or greater than ours. But the "Zaa-
rahs of creation" the starry w%ildernesses F." OF
space. are before us. and the stops for
naught. On and still onl Centuries 1ow away
like grains Of and clipping through the
fingers that seek to grasp them; thousands
Of years roll over US, and yet tho comet
vSSNS ~ ASo ~ 8A0 sA~ oASA0S "a SAS ~AA
verso seem as distant as ever. Tho sun has
disappeared among tho thronging stars be-
hind us 30 long ago that memory cannot recall
1t. The earth2 What Is the earth ? Our gray
old comet once flashed by q tiny speck Of rock
illuminated by one Of the innumerable little
suns that 1t has turned aside to- visit; was that
the earth? But when was 1t, and how long
ago2 Ask an angel He may be able to toll.
Perchance 1t ceased to exist ages ago. while we
were crossing this sea OF immensely. and the
ephemeral beings that inhabited 1t have van
ished into thin air like bubbles. Let US sleep.
for the weariness of %unending time and i'm
measurable space is upon US.
What Is this sudden blaze that awakens us 2
Now. Heaven be thanked. the blessed light OF q
sun 10 once more In our eyes. The comet has
Ike Q bridegroom. Is decking himself for the
meeting. The solar beams penetrate his cold
members. the fire runs through his veins, and
out flash the splendors that he has not worn
since that time In the misty past when he came
In al his glory at Christmas tide and snatched
us sway from our little rocky home, which then
seemed 30 grand to us. But what are these
worlds that We dart by a. We enter with COM
stary dash into the avenues OF this new CAPT.
tai OF spaoe2 Even our great Jupiter would
have to lower his majestic head to them.
And what sun IL this that lights them
MP with such unimaginable splendor. and
makes Us think 70 have never seen a
true sun befors2 It is the star that was known
to us upon the earth under the name Of Vega.
and that shone In our northern heavens In the
constellation that we called the Harp. Astron-
omers told US that 1t was at least forty times as
bright Is our sun. and We thought they we're
romancing. But seeing Is believing. only we
can hardly get our eyes omen In the presence